Airline Accidents Worldwide Lower Than Any Other Year In The Past Decade

The start of 2014 marks the 100th anniversary of commercial aviation together with the achievement of the best safety record in aviation history, according to EASA. Worldwide, fatal accidents involving large commercial air transport airplanes were lower in 2013 than any other year in the last decade, with 17 accidents, compared with a yearly average of 27.  In line with this reduction in the number of fatal accidents, there has also been a significant reduction in the number of fatalities worldwide: in 2013 there were 224 fatalities, compared with a yearly average of 703 between 2003 and 2012.

There were no fatal accidents involving large commercial air transport airplanes in EASA Member States in 2013.  In the same year, airline operators in EASA Member States performed approximately 6 million commercial air transport flights, transporting over 800 million passengers. “Europe continues to have one of the strongest safety records in the world, however this positive picture cannot be taken for granted; as traffic over European skies and worldwide increases, we need to continue our efforts to maintain and even improve aviation safety”, commented Patrick Ky, Executive Director of EASA.

A great deal of work continues at a European level to further improve aviation safety through the European Aviation Safety Plan. The plan connects the safety issues identified with the actions and initiatives launched to address the underlying risks.  The most recent version of the plan can be found here.

In the coming months, EASA will publish its Annual Safety Review for 2013, providing an overview of aviation safety in Europe and covering all major sectors of aviation, from Commercial Air Transport to General Aviation and Aerodrome and Air Traffic safety.

(Chart provided by EASA. The graph shows the cumulative number of fatal accidents per month worldwide, in commercial air transport, comparing 2013 with 2012 and with the average for the decade 2003-2012.)

FMI: www.easa.eu.int